Here's part two! The full story is TECHNICALLY finished, but the ending still needs fiddled with and there might be a coupkle of scenes to add in to the next three chapters, so this is to tide you over till then. This part begins during the episode Shindig, and also references to Our Mrs Reynolds, so big DISCLAIMER; I know I do not own these characters, episodes etc. Ahem. I think that's all. PLEASE comment, it makes me happy. And when I'm happy I update. See, we're all winners....

Cup of Tea - Part Two

Simon’s watch read eleven o’ clock and he felt an odd sense of loss in the pit of his stomach. The crew were planetside, buying supplies, which meant no tea, no biscuits, no Kaylee. River was sleeping fitfully, leaving him to potter around the infirmary aimlessly. He half wished Jayne would return to wreak havoc, just so he would have something to do.

Besides River, only the shepherd was on board. Simon’s feet carried him to the area around the passenger quarters, where he found Book reading the Bible.

“Something I can do for you, son?” the shepherd asked.

Simon shook his head, feeling stupid. “No,” he said. Then he paused, shifting his weight from foot to foot.

“It’s awfully quiet, isn’t it?” he said eventually. “When the others aren’t around.”

Book nodded slowly. “The crew have quite a presence,” he agreed. “Especially Jayne. And the captain. They like to make themselves heard.”

“And Kaylee,” Simon said softly, the words tumbling out of his mouth without thought.

Book smiled. “Yes. She’s a special one.”

Simon didn’t know it, but the wistful look in his eyes was apparent to Book, who noted it with interest.

“Yes. She is.”

*

When Kaylee returned to the ship, her expression was unusually sullen. Simon sat in the galley with River, who was occupying most of his attention, but he noticed. She seemed to be avoiding the captain’s eye, and the captain in turn was occasionally shooting her guilty looks. Simon wondered what had happened.

There was a crash and River’s plate shattered at his feet. Simon jumped, coming out of his daze, and grabbed River, who was thrashing about wildly in her seat. She let out a sob as Simon guided her to her feet and out of the galley.

Kaylee spared him a sympathetic, but distracted look as he left the room.

* Kaylee stood in front of the mirror, unable to control her smile as her reflection beamed back at her. She smoothed her dress down needlessly, touching the material as delicately as if it were spun out of sugar. All angry thoughts towards the captain forgotten, she spun round once on the spot, watching the material float out around her.

She was about to move towards the ladder of her bunk when she heard voices from above. The captain was greeting Simon as he passed. The thought of Simon stopped Kaylee in her tracks.

She stepped back in front of the mirror, thinking back to what the captain had said. Did she look out of place in this dress? Back on Osiris, Simon had probably seen hundred of girls in dresses much finer than this one. What would he think if he saw her? She fingered a ruffle pensively.

“Kaylee?” shouted the captain impatiently.

“Coming,” she replied, and she exited her bunk. She saw his eyes widen slightly at the sight of her.

“How’d I look?” she asked.

Mal replied in his usual mean-old-man voice. “Fine. Let’s get gone.”

His eyes twinkled and Kaylee beamed. She did look good after all.

* “Jayne. I wouldn’t,” said Zoe.

“Why not?”

Simon followed Zoe’s gaze, and felt his chest constrict. There was Kaylee, standing in a dress that must have been at least a decade out of date, looking as beautiful as the setting sun. The image was ruined, however, by the ensemble of thugs surrounding her.

“Hi,” she said, in a resigned voice.

* “You’re going to be just fine,” Simon said, gently covering the captains wound. “You’re very lucky.”

“I’m gonna ask you to repeat that, next time you get stabbed,” Mal retorted, glancing down at his side and wincing.

Simon gave him a hard look. “This could have been a lot more serious. You’ll have to be careful for the next few …”

“You know how to sword fight?” Mal interrupted curiously.

Simon blinked “Excuse me?”

“Well that’s the kind of world you come from, isn’t it?”

Simon moved over to wash his hands. “I took fencing lessons when I was younger. Never really took to it.”

Mal chuckled as he got to his feet. “Thanks doc.”

Simon nodded and followed him out of the infirmary, heading towards the galley whilst checking his watch. Eleven o’ five.

He found Kaylee sitting there, and she beamed at him. “Didn’t think you’d make it,” she said.

Simon looked at her smile, the way it lit up her entire face, and decided she looked every bit as beautiful sitting there in a jumpsuit as she did in the dress. He popped a biscuit in his mouth.

“Wouldn’t miss this for the ‘verse,” he told her thickly, and she laughed as he wiped the biscuit crumbs from his mouth.

* “Try it,” she pleaded, her bright eyes dancing.

“No!” Simon gasped through his laughter.

Kaylee rolled her eyes, not unkindly. “You’re such a bore,” she teased. “It’s easy, look…”

She snapped a corner off her cookie and placed the end of her straw over it. Simon watched disbelievingly

“It won’t work.”

“Have faith,” she told him, before taking a deep breath. She sucked at the straw hard, holding the morsel in place, and slowly moved it towards her mug.

Simon followed her progress with his eyes, and was marginally impressed when she dunked the biscuit into the hot liquid.

“Wow,” he said softly. Kaylee snorted, causing her tea to bubble, and the crumb sank to the bottom of her mug, causing Simon to start laughing again.

“You distracted me!” Kaylee moaned. She handed him the straw. “Your turn.”

* Kaylee was laughing, and Simon was beginning to think she would die of exhaustion before she stopped. River, who hadn’t been sleepy and was joining them not for the first time, was giggling too, and between the two of them Simon had no idea how he was managing to keep a straight face.

“It’s really none of our business,” he informed them, watching as Kaylee struggled to take a sip of tea whilst laughing. She rolled her eyes at him.

“He always been like this?” she asked River through her laughter.

“Like what?” Simon interceded.

River rounded her brown eyes on him, her laughter quelled. “No fun,” she said, smiling slightly.

Simon raised his eyebrows and tried to look offended, turning back to Kaylee. “No fun?”

Kaylee just laughed harder and said nothing, her eyes twinkling playfully as they met his.

“Huh,” said Simon in mock anger, “Find yourself a new tea-drinking partner, then,”

River raised her hand as if she was in school, straining out of her seat and making small ‘ooh’ noises to attract attention.

Kaylee smirked, and pointed wordlessly at River, who cried out gleefully.

“You’ve been replaced,” Kaylee told Simon over River’s cheers. “Go on, get lost.”

With great dignity, Simon got to his feet, and had actually taken a few steps before Kaylee wrapped her fingers around his wrist and dragged him back, giving him a playful push back into his seat.

“Oh okay, you can stay for today,” she told him, pretending to be put out. She exchanged a glance with River, and the two girls began laughing again.

Simon shook his head.

A girl appeared at the door, and the three froze. Saffron lowered her eyes submissively and moved towards the kitchenette.

Kaylee looked at Simon, biting her lip to stop herself from laughing.

He sniggered. He couldn’t help it.

Mal entered the room a few seconds behind his new bride. He took in the sight of Saffron working and his three crew members watching him, and scowled.

The three burst out laughing once more. Mal began to look more than annoyed, and Simon, thinking quickly, grabbed River and ushered both her and Kaylee out of the room.

“Did you see his face?” gasped Kaylee, once they were out of hearing distance.

“Kaylee,” Simon said, calming himself. “It’s none of our business.”

She looked at him. He looked at her.

She kept a straight face for about two seconds.

He just about managed three.

* It was ten past eleven when Kaylee burst into the galley.

Simon raised an eyebrow in question. The girl was covered in even more engine grease than usual. It was smeared all over her face. She looked adorable.

“Problem?”

She shook her head. “Not anymore.”

He nodded towards her mug. “It’s probably gone cold,” he informed her apologetically.

She shrugged. “Ain’t a problem,” She took a sip and wrinkled her nose slightly. “I’ve had worse,” she told him brightly.

They sat there in comfortable silence, Kaylee drinking her tea as fast as she could before it got even colder.

“How’s River?” she asked after a moment. “Sleeping?”

“No,” he answered. “She slept right through last night. No nightmares.”

Kaylee’s face lit up. “That’s wonderful!”

Simon nodded.

“So where is she?”

“With the shepherd,” he told her. “She’s drawing and he’s reading. The silence was killing me, so I left them to it.”

Kaylee settled back into her chair, draining the last of her tea.

“I oughta go get cleaned up,” she said, sounding a little embarrassed.

Simon wanted to tell her not to go, that was no need to wash her face on his account.

“Yeah,” he said, “because you’ve got just a little something, just there…” He reached out to brush her face and she swatted his hand away, laughing.

“Very funny, Simon. Trust you to only develop a sense of humour when you’re being mean.”

“I have a sense of humour,” he told her as she got to her feet.

She rolled her eyes. “I know. Just no one believes me.”